


Branwen's Destiny

by StellaStarMagic



Category: RWBY
Genre: Background Romance at best, Bi-Sexual Ruby, F/F, F/M, Graphic Sex, Graphic Violence, Promiscious Ruby, Ruby in Shade Academy, Ruby raised by Raven, Ruby who kills, Shade Academy, most likely no relationship for Ruby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:01:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27441604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaStarMagic/pseuds/StellaStarMagic
Summary: It is said that those born with silver eyes are destined to be warriors. When Raven Branwen raised Ruby as her own in the Branwen tribe it was that destiny she sought to fulfill.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 35





	1. Ruby Branwen

**Author's Note:**

> This has been adopted by ynyn on FFN. I will edit and upload the first fifteen chapters. Everything that follows is from me.

She waited. Despite it only being early spring, the sun was beating down on her, her long hair sticking to her exposed neck as she kept focusing on the beaten path below her.

There. The grinding of wooden wheels on dirt was as familiar to her by now as the clashing of steel when training with her brothers and sisters. Looking to the side, she saw the merchant sitting on his carriage which was being pulled by a couple of horses.

It was their folly. Everyone earning their livelihoods outside of the kingdoms knew that it was dangerous. There were no soldiers to protect them from the creatures of Grimm, there were no soldiers to protect them from outlaw tribes – such as hers.

Pulling out her weapon, a shortened katana with a black and red handle, which had a slot for dust usage, she held the blade against the sun, moving it a couple of times and signalling her tribe members on the other side to be ready. After a few more moments, when the carriage was almost exactly below her, she activated her semblance, leaving nothing but rose petals behind, quickly followed by the rest of the raiding party.

The merchant had no time to react at all. He didn't even realize that something was amiss when her semblance-powered kick connected with his side, the breaking of his ribs painfully audible. He flew out of his carriage, tumbling onto the dirt, where he quickly got a sack put over his head. A few others of her tribe held onto the anxious horses, calming them down.

"Well done, Ruby. You are getting better every time," Vernal, who was like an older sister to her, said.

Ruby smiled and nodded in return. "Thank you. I've been taught well."

"And it would be a shame if all that training didn't pay off, right?"

Ruby couldn't help but chuckle at that. Now, fifteen years of age, she participated in raids – big and small – for the past two years. With her semblance, she was usually the first to attack because of the surprise-element her speed brought.

"Anything good?" Ruby asked.

Crysta, the other youngster in her raid group, peeked out of the carriage and handed their loot to the others. "Some silk, some leather, average quality from what I can tell."

"Don't expect too much from a single merchant, kids. If we want the big loot, we raid villages and not some no-name who's alone out here," Vernal said, getting into lecture-mode.

Of course, they were aware that they wouldn't find anything special on this merchant, but it still never failed to disappoint when all they'd find was cheap leather and silk.

Walking up to Vernal, Ruby oversaw the looting with her.

"You've really grown, Ruby. I still remember you puking all over yourself when you had to do your first kill." Vernal grinned.

"Mother couldn't decide if she should be disappointed in me for puking or proud for actually killing the man."

The two laughed quietly. Vernal then put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. I really am."

"Thank you."

"Are you guys finished?" Vernal asked those tasked with looting. There were a few affirmatives, then the whole group came together, a few carrying sacks filled with their collected loot. Vernal then stepped up to the captive merchant, who was shivering violently and breathing a bit heavily. It was quite possible that her kick might have injured something more important than a rib.

"You want to do the honours, Ruby?" Vernal asked her and Ruby shrugged.

"Sure, why not."

She stepped up, and, in a single motion, she unsheathed her sword and cut through his throat, blood immediately flowing freely from his wound, staining the front of his shirt. The audible gurgling was indicating that he was already choking and drowning on his own blood.

Ruby flicked the blood off her blade and nodded. Their job was done.

* * *

The group arrived a couple of hours later back in their camp. The camp itself wasn't anything special: circular in its structure with a few cages for prisoners and small huts and tents for the tribe members to sleep in strewn across. But it was home. For as long as Ruby could remember this simple and practical place was her home. Here she learned to fight, to survive, to hunt and to kill.

It was the creed the Branwen tribe lived by: _The weak die, the strong live_. Those were the rules. From the moment she could understand the concept of life and death, Raven would drill it into her. It hadn't always been easy, but she had learned and now she lived it. It was a good life; tough, sometimes bloody, not always kind, but _it was_ a good life. The tribe came first, after all, and if someone or something would stand between her and her family she would slay it without hesitation.

"I see you've returned."

Looking towards their tribe leader's tent, Ruby and Vernal watched Raven Branwen approach them.

"Yes, Chieftain. It wasn't much, but we got some materials to patch up a few tents and clothes," Vernal answered respectfully and Ruby stood a step behind her mother's most respected tribe member.

While, yes, she was the adoptive daughter of the Chieftain, she still had to earn her place. Over the past years, with rigorous training, harsh words and fights between her and Raven – and a lot of blood, sweat and tears – she had earned a lot of respect. Her mother would never go easy on her, though, and that was what she wanted from her, to be treated like a tribe member. She didn't want to get coddled and she didn't want to get her rewards handed out on a silver platter. Everything Ruby had gained over the past years was earned and the members knew it.

"Ruby."

Startled out of her thoughts, Ruby looked up to see her mother raise an eyebrow at her.

"I would like to talk with you. Follow me."

Without waiting for an answer, the Chieftain turned around and headed to her tent, Ruby silently following.

Ruby's heart was beating rapidly against her chest. She wondered what her mother could possibly want to talk to her about. She had made a request a while ago and had been asked to be patient while her mother thought it through. And patient she had been.

Maybe this was it? Maybe her mother finally came to a decision? If she would be denied she certainly would not cry about it. Be disappointed, yes, but after everything her mother told her about the world, about all the secrets kept from the civilians, about her birth mother and her eyes…she would understand if Raven would deny her.

With a shaky breath, Ruby followed Raven into the large tent. Her mother sat down on her cushion as Ruby closed the tent's flaps behind her.

"Would you like some tea, mother?" She asked, walking to the table and the heated teapot.

"Yes, please."

Filling a cup first for her mother, then for her, she sat down on her side of the table, waiting for her mother to speak first.

There were a few moments of silence until Raven finally spoke. "Do you know why I asked to speak with you, Ruby?"

"Because you've come to a decision about me joining an academy?"

"I have indeed." Standing up with her cup still in her hand, Raven turned her back to the table. "I've raised you like my own child. Some may call me a terrible mother for raising someone else's daughter while leaving my own behind, but Taiyang made me choose: my tribe or my daughter."

Ruby was silent as she listened to her mother. She had told her a lot of things and had never hidden anything from her, but that was the first time that Raven had told her about the choice she was forced to make.

"Of course I wished I could have raised my own daughter as I raised you," Raven continued, turning to face Ruby again, "but I don't regret a day. Our tribe flourishes and you are becoming the warrior you are destined to be."

"Thank you, mother."

"And I thank you. I've seen others with more experience and powers at least as great as your eyes crumble. You proved yourself to be an astonishingly resilient child. It was a nice change of pace if I am honest." Raven then paused for a moment and took a sip from her steaming cup. "Your birth mother…Summer…she was a great warrior too. But as we all did at first, she too fell into Ozpin's trap. Like Tai. Like my brother. Like even I did. And out of all of us, she was the most idealistic and she paid for it with her life."

Ruby didn't want to admit it, she wanted to be strong, but every time her birth mother was mentioned her heart ached. There was no denying that inherently the difference between an adoptive and a birth mother was felt deeply; she was no different in that regard.

But still, she loved Raven just as much as she would have loved her own mother had she still been alive, she was sure of it.

"So, I will not allow you to attend Beacon. Under no circumstances whatsoever will I allow my daughter to fall into the clutches of a wizard who is training children to fight his war– which he has been losing over the past several millennia."

 _Oh_. "Oh." Ruby dropped her head a bit in disappointment. She kind of saw this answer coming, but still had had a little bit of hope in her heart. "I understand."

"I understand you want to experience something your mother did. But Ozpin is too dangerous, and you will not fight his war for him. Salem is _not_ your enemy."

"I understand, mother."

"But…there is an alternative I would be reluctantly willing to allow."

At that, Ruby perked up again.

The Chieftain couldn't hide her smirk at that. "Tch. Of course, you'd stop moping as soon as I said that." She sighed. "Shade Academy. You might still be able to see Beacon during the Vytal Festival _and_ the fact that you are still just fifteen won't be that big of a deal. Go to the academy, say you want to apply and prove yourself. You have nothing to lose."

"You really would allow-"

"Yes, Ruby. But only Vacuo. If you don't manage that then that's it. And-" Raven held up a hand to interrupt Ruby before she spoke, "once you have graduated you will return to the tribe. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mother. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, child." Walking up to her, Raven ran a hand through Ruby's hair, a rare show of affection and Ruby relished in it. "Just go there, learn and return to your family. Once you've done all of that…then you can thank me."

* * *

It was different, that much was certain. Once the ship docked at the coast to Vacuo, all she could see was sand and all she could feel was the unforgiving and scorching heat of the sun.

It definitely was an unforgiving place, but it was what she wanted. She wanted to learn why her mother wanted to be a huntress, she wanted to learn what her other mother had learned during her time in an academy.

There were a few here and there in the tribe who had asked her to stay, to not abandon her family like Qrow had done years ago and she had to assure them again and again that all she wanted was to see and experience what it was like, to sate her curiosity and to have something in common with her birth mother other than her looks.

They understood; to some extent at least.

And then there had also been her dear friend Perid, who had asked her to at least spend another last night with him and, well, who was she to deny him that?

A slight twitch of her lips escaped her at that memory before she shook herself and took in her surroundings once more.

She wasn't sure where to go, so the best thing to do was to ask someone. Walking up to the next person in sight she tapped the man on the shoulder, drawing his attention to her. "How do I get to Shade Academy?"

"You look a bit young to be a huntress, missy," he replied with a toothless smile.

Rolling her eyes, she ignored him and looked for someone else to ask when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Without looking she grasped the hand firmly and quickly twisted and turned before standing behind the culprit, his arm bent painfully against his back.

"H-hey, sorry, I just heard your question and wanted to help you out, man!"

"Tch." Releasing him, after slightly pushing him away from herself, she gave him a quick once over. He seemed to be a bit older than her, probably around the appropriate age to apply to Shade. "Who are you?" Ruby asked him, her arms folded over her chest as she raised her chin a bit.

"Name's Nolan Porfirio," he answered her with a smirk, "and I'm applying to Shade too. Figured, since, you know, you don't seem to be from around here I'd help you out."

She stared at him for a few more moments, trying to judge his sincerity, then nodded. "Fine. Lead on."

"Alright, transport stations with air busses are this way."

Ruby followed him, a few paces behind him. She turned her head this way and that, still seeing almost nothing but sand.

"Are there actually any cities or villages close by?"

"Villages are rare because it can be really dangerous. There's the heat, then the Grimm," Nolan explained. "There are still a few settlements here and there, but it's mainly cities. Providing a functioning infrastructure between cities and villages in a desert is kind of hard after all. What's your name, by the way?" Nolan asked, glancing back at her.

"Ruby."

"Just Ruby?"

"Ruby Branwen."

Nodding, they kept walking for a bit longer. Then, he glanced back at her again. "No offence, Ruby Branwen, but I've got to admit that old fart wasn't wrong when he said that you look kind of young."

"And?"

"Well, there's the law that you have to be seventeen to apply to an academy."

Ruby snorted at that. "You are talking about law in Vacuo? Isn't this place infamous because no one gives a damn about the law?"

Nolan paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough. It's going to be hard on you though and – ah, there we are."

In front of them was a large transport station that seemed incredibly out of place in the desert, but it was a good sight to see it. It meant that Ruby was another step closer. Even if she was younger than everybody else, she would get in and if it meant she had to beat her way through every other candidate.


	2. Shade Academy

Never before had Ruby seen the world from such a height as she did now, sitting inside of an airbus on her way to Shade Academy. Of course, there was the occasional airship that she would see as it flew by, but seeing the ground below her from so far away was something different and fascinating to her. In such a short time so much in her life had already changed.

Growing up as Raven Branwen's adoptive daughter certainly wasn't an easy experience, but it was still something she had grown to cherish. It came with expectations and a sense of duty to the tribe. It came with lots of tough love, but not without the tender moments in between. It came with the knowledge that whatever she did would also reflect on her mother.

There were times when she struggled to cope with the training Raven had put her through. She never was in mortal danger, obviously, but Raven still had made sure to make the training hurt.

_"You think your enemies will go easy on you, Ruby? You think your enemies will say 'she only has training experience, let's not hit her so hard'?"_

She also remembered times when Raven's training had had her bedridden for a week, her aura still untrained. It had done very little to protect her then. As time went on, however, Ruby had grown more and more determined to prove herself to Raven and the tribe. When she had first started training, once she had reached her sixth birthday, Ruby definitely was one of the weaker children, she could admit that much. She had gotten beaten easily, she had cried a lot, she hadn't wanted to hurt others. Two years later, her attitude had changed thanks to a lot of one-on-ones with Raven.

The Branwen tribe's chieftain was the reason – probably the sole reason – why Ruby was who she was today, and she was forever grateful for that. Despite knowing that she still had ways to go Ruby was aware of her strength, of her cunning, of how ruthless in battle she had become. She also knew that all those changes from the innocent child, who had been unable to land a hit without apologizing for hurting the other kids, to who she was now had been thanks to Raven.

At only fifteen, she was an experienced fighter now, compared to many others. Her mother had shaped her, forged her and built her.

The woman who gave birth to her, the woman whom she wished she could have known in person, whom she wished she could have at least been able to talk to, was Summer Rose, her birth mother.

being and that was the decider, the point that shaped her entire being – the woman who raised her, who became her mother in every sense except for giving birth to her, was Raven Branwen, chieftain of the Branwen tribe.

In her blood, she may be a Rose, but in her very being, her very soul, she was a daughter of the Branwen tribe.

But still, a last connection to her birth mother was what she craved. She wanted to know what it was about those academies that Summer Rose had been so intent on joining them. Having the same training as her birth mother would mean so much to her, mainly in gaining some understanding of the kind of person Summer Rose had been. She knew that Raven was more of a mother to her than any other person could ever be, having saved her from certain death and taken her in, but Ruby knew that Raven understood where she was coming from.

There was, after all, nothing wrong with wanting to learn more about the kind of person the woman who gave birth to her had been.

Ruby also understood that her curiosity might not end up being sated, but, one way or another, she would graduate from Shade with the experience and knowledge of a huntress and her tribe would profit from it. After all, wasn't that why the tribe had sent Raven and Qrow to Beacon all those years in the past?

 _I'll make you proud, mother_. Ruby gazed out of the window of the airbus. _I'll come back to my family even stronger_.

* * *

It took the better part of an hour for the airbus to arrive at Shade Academy. Ruby wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't a building that looked like some kind of temple in the middle of an oasis.

Once she got out of the cooled interior of the airbus, she was hit again by the heat of Vacuo.

The entirety of the Academy seemed to be made of stone. It also was surrounded by a large body of water and a big number of palm trees strewn across. It was a far cry from the environment she usually was used to.

"Come on."

Looking to her side, she saw Nolan nodding at the building, indicating for her to follow him. When he saw her walking towards him, he started walking up the ramp of the airbus station.

"How does it work?"

Nolan gave her a questioning look. "How does what work?"

"Applying to the academy."

"Oh," the redheaded boy nodded in understanding, "that. As far as I know, it's different for every academy and, since Vacuo is, uh, more _liberal_ when it comes to rules and laws and stuff, they don't ask you to formally apply. They do a few tests instead. I'm not sure what kinds of tests they ask you to do though."

Whatever those supposed tests were going to be, Ruby wasn't overly worried. Of course, she was hoping for anything physical, ranging from hand-to-hand combat to any other forms of fighting tests.

She was confident that she would be easily successful in those categories. Since she had never gone to any school though, she wasn't entirely sure how successful she would be if there were to be any written tests. Raven had taught her a lot of the basics of any school curriculum she could think of and she knew almost all there was to know about Grimm, but still – if she had to choose between physical and written tests she knew what she would pick.

As they got closer to the building, the entrance became more and more visible.

In stark contrast to the almost ancient look of the academy's exterior, the entrance was very modern in both its design and safety standards.

The door opened with a low hiss, allowing them both inside. Once the heat was replaced with a pleasantly cool temperature, Ruby couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, making Nolan chuckle.

"Despite what everyone says, you never get used to this desert's heat," he grinned at her.

Ruby glanced at him from the corner of her eyes before her attention was drawn to an information and service desk, a young woman with short blonde hair sitting behind it. Making her way quickly to the desk, Ruby gained the woman's attention.

"Welcome to Shade Academy! How may I help you?"

"My name is Ruby Branwen and I wish to apply."

"Of course! Do you have any identification?" the woman asked with a smile and reached her hand out once Ruby handed her scroll over.

The ID only held the barest of information on her person, just enough that Ruby wouldn't accidentally confuse anything without giving away too much. Raven saw to that.

"You are only fifteen?"

Sighing, Ruby looked at the woman. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

Chuckling at Ruby, the woman shook her head. "Not really, no. It's just the last time someone who wasn't at least seventeen years old got accepted was over twenty years ago."

"I am more than capable."

"That's what they all say. It's your decision though." The woman was concentrating on the screen in front of her while typing in the data from Ruby's scroll for a few moments before handing the little device back to the teenager. "There, your name's now on the applicants' list. I have uploaded any information you need into your scroll. Make sure to read all of it. Applicants have their own quarters to stay in, the location can also be found on your scroll now."

"Thank you," Ruby gave the woman an awkward nod before turning away from her to check out the location of the quarters the woman mentioned.

The map of the building provided to her was more detailed than she expected and, not wanting to waste any more time, she was about to head towards there when Nolan stopped her once more. "So," he began, "did everything work out?"

"Yes," Ruby gave him a nod. "Although not many around my age who also apply here seem to be successful. But I will change that."

"You seem pretty confident."

"It comes with how I was raised," Ruby replied with a small smirk. It was nothing but the truth. If Ruby hadn't developed confidence in herself and her abilities, she was sure that Raven would not have kept her around for very long. Raven always told her that the most important thing in becoming stronger was the confidence that one could become stronger. If Ruby hadn't developed that mental strength her Chieftain had drilled into her, then she never would be who she was now.

"Now you got me curious."

Raising an eyebrow at him, Ruby took on a perfect imitation of Raven's commanding posture. "Keep your curiosity to yourself if you know what is good for you."

"Relax!" Nolan held his hands up in a placating manner.

"Good."

Without any further words, Ruby left Nolan and, with the guidance of the map in her scroll, made her way to the applicant's quarters.

On her way there she took in her new surroundings. If everything would go as she expected, this place would be her new home. For as long as she could remember, home to her were camps; simple yet comfortable. She didn't have a lot of luxury in her life, if any, but she was used to it and never felt the need for it. Maybe it was a case of 'you can't miss what you never had', but it was what she knew and what she had grown up with.

But, in this building, there was so much going on, so many screens, so much brightness. It was a bit of a culture shock to her, even though it did have her attention, her head swivelling left and right making it obvious.

She almost hated to admit it, feeling as if she betrayed Raven and her tribe, but she couldn't deny the tingling feeling of excitement deep down in her stomach. Despite that, though, she knew that she would not do what Raven's brother did. She would not betray her family, whether she enjoyed her time here or not.

She was a Branwen after all.

Once she reached the quarters, Ruby took another look at the information handed to her and saw that she had to share the room she would stay in for the time being with several other applicants. It also said that the rooms weren't exclusively for girls or boys. Instead, it would all be mixed. There was no surprise reading that piece of information, as it was first and foremost a kind of military school. Also, back in her tribe, there was neither space nor time for modesty. More than once did she take a swim in lakes, wearing nothing but her birthday-suit, other teenagers of both sexes from her tribe joining her.

Growing up in such an environment had her grow into feeling comfortable about her body and nudity in general, so the arrangement of mixed sexes in the sleeping quarters wasn't anything that bothered her in the slightest. A body was just that – a body – after all.

Looking around her, she saw a few numbered rooms; not many in quantity, but she assumed they were big enough to house a decent number of applicants.

After a while, she found the one she would stay in for the coming days and immediately opened it before entering, causing everyone inside to turn towards the door to look at the newcomer.

Ruby gave her temporary roommates a once over, greeting them with a quick nod. Then she began looking for an unoccupied bed.

"There's one farther in the back."

Turning towards the voice, she saw a girl a bit taller than her with dark blonde hair and violet eyes, wearing a green dress. "Thank you."

Not paying further attention to her, Ruby walked towards the bed the girl mentioned.

"You aren't really talkative, are you?" the girl asked, still following Ruby.

"No," Ruby said once she reached the bed and sat down, untying her small bag and putting it on the bed.

She didn't take much with her; only a couple more pairs of her usual clothing, a few pairs of underwear, necessary toiletries and everything needed to keep her weapon functioning. If she needed more, her mother could always use her semblance to reach her instantly.

"Oh, well. The name's Dew Gayl. What's yours?"

"Ruby Branwen."

"Dew, who're you talking to? The newcomer?"

Looking up, Ruby saw another girl with dark indigo hair and olive eyes joining her and the Dew girl.

"Yes, Nebula. This is Ruby Branwen and Ruby, this is Nebula Violette."

"Great to meet ya. Say, you look kind of young..." Nebula let the sentence hang there, her question obvious.

With another sigh, Ruby confirmed it. "Yes, I am fifteen, but I am sure that I can still join here."

"And why do you want to join early? Why not wait a couple more years?" Dew asked her, obviously curious, which was something Ruby really didn't enjoy.

"My reasons are my own."

"Fair enough," Nebula shrugged at her. She then indicated for Dew to leave Ruby alone, which she appreciated. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Vacuo is a rough place and-"

Ruby chuckling made Nebula stop mid-sentence and raise an eyebrow at her.

"Believe me, I can take care of myself just fine," Ruby smirked at the older girls with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

* * *

Settling into her new environment was a process Ruby found both strange and exciting at the same time. It was strange because nothing she had experienced in her first night at Shade Academy was even slightly similar to what she was used to from her tribe. Even sleeping in an actual bed was odd and so foreign that she had trouble finding any shut-eye.

It wasn't the first time she slept very few hours, though, and she could run on little sleep; maybe not call on her peak performance, but it would be enough.

Still, she was more than confident that she would have no trouble whatsoever in succeeding whatever the test was going to be.

She was a Branwen after all.

She was standing in a great hall with every other applicant and the headmistress of Shade was giving a welcoming speech. Ruby used the time to observe her competition.

Very few of those she could see appeared threatening to her, while the rest gave off a very…average vibe.

Dew Gayle and Nebula Violette appeared to be capable fighters at first glance, but she would have to see their command over their auras first, their semblances and how proficient they were with their weapons.

"Now, I am sure all of you want to know how we will determine here at Shade Academy who out of all of you is worthy to be trained here and prepared for their future careers as huntsmen and huntresses."

Ruby perked up as the headmistress seemed to finally be ready to address that topic.

"We change our tests every year. After all, you always have to be prepared for uncertainty. Last year we took an example out of Professor Ozpin's – the headmaster of Beacon Academy, for those of you who live under a rock – book and had our students go out into the desert, survive in pairs and find matching relics with their future teammates. This year, we will have two-on-two fights. Your partner will be determined randomly by our computer system. If you succeed, which means if you win your fight, you and your partner will remain as such through the next four years. After all the winners and as such, accepted applicants, are determined, your team will also be randomly picked for you.

You may not always get along with your partner or other teammates, but it will be expected that you set aside any personal grievances and be professional about it. After all, as a huntsman or huntress, you rarely will be happy about the people you have to work with. And now, good luck to all of you!"


	3. A New Partner, A New Team

So, it was a two-on-two battle to weed out the weak and accept only those who proved themselves capable. She liked that. In her tribe, she had learned the importance of working with others, whether she wanted to or not.

Despite living outside the law of any kingdom they set their camp in, there were _'laws'_ – or rules, to be more accurate – that her tribe had set for itself and one of the more important ones was to always work together within the tribe.

They were bandits, yes. They robbed, killed and kidnapped, yes. They smuggled, yes. They stole, yes.

But none of those things could be done by a single person, no matter how strong and talented they were. Not even Ruby, with her semblance of speed, could do all those things by herself, even though her speed would be useful and almost unstoppable when she did any of the above.

She was confident that her skill, together with her semblance, would be enough against most of her fellow applicants. She could even go alone against two and probably against three. Still, she hoped that whomever she would be partnered with was at least somewhat capable and would be able to hold their own in the upcoming fight.

If they were quiet…well, that would be a bonus.

The students-to-be were ushered out of the hall they were in by a young woman with dark hair and skin, who held herself with some authority. If Ruby had to guess she would say that woman was the deputy headmistress or someone of similar rank.

After a few moments, the woman led them into a room housing what seemed to be an arena, a large display already showing a computer being busy randomizing and setting up the teams and match-ups.

"Applicants. Please, sit down. Once our academy's computer has finished setting you up with your partner and opponents, which should be any moment now, I will call you up by your names. The rules will be standard tournament rules. You will lose once your aura level is below the minimum limit or when you are knocked out of the arena."

Ruby crossed her arms over her chest, casually leaned back into her seat, her eyes on the big screen in front of her busy matching up names.

After a few more short moments, the final applicants had found their partners and opponents. A horn sounded immediately, effectively halting all conversations and Ruby's eyes focused on the woman in front of them.

"My name is Agathe Nox – Professor Nox to you – and I am the deputy headmistress of Shade Academy. As you heard, the horn sounded, which means your partner and opponents have been determined. Seek your partner out, get to know them. Visit the cafeteria, get a snack. You have one hour to find yourselves back here in this room. Those who fail to be here on time will be disqualified. You have been warned."

Ruby was surprised that, despite its reputation to be a laid-back academy, it seemed to be somewhat strict in some areas.

Getting up from her seat, Ruby made her way down towards the screen as she searched for her name.

"Hey! Ruby!"

Turning towards the voice calling out to her, she raised an eyebrow at Dew Gayle.

"Yes?"

"Looks like we are going to be partners." Dew gave Ruby a small smirk.

Ruby seized her up. "Very well. I hope you can hold yourself in a fight."

Dew laughed at that. "Don't you worry, kid. Let's go grab something to eat."

* * *

They were sitting across from each other, Ruby taking a bite out of her sandwich while Dew was munching on peanuts.

Dew then cleared her throat. "So, tell me a bit about yourself, Ruby."

Leaning back against her chair, Ruby cocked her head a bit, giving Dew a questioning look. "Like what?"

"Where are you from? What about your family? How do you fight?"

"Anima, my family is a very private matter, I use a short-bladed katana."

Dew raised both eyebrows at Ruby's answer, then sighed. "Sheesh, it's like pulling teeth with you. Look, I get that you don't talk much or whatever, but I want to actually get into the academy and the way I see it…well, good communication is the most important thing for a functioning partnership, you know?"

" _Fine_." Ruby rolled her eyes before shifting slightly in her chair. She pulled her katana from its sheath resting on her hip. "I won't answer anything I don't want to, including questions about my family."

"Fair enough."

"Good. This is my weapon, _Mist Thorn_. It doesn't transform, but it has a slot for dust usage."

Dew hummed. "Which makes us both mainly melee fighters. What's your semblance?"

"Speed. I am fast. _Really_ fast."

"I think we can work with that…"

"What's your weapon of choice?" Ruby asked her partner, feeling it was her turn to be nosy.

Dew reached into the sarong around her hips and, with a flick of her wrist, what seemed like several segments of a weapon, clicked and locked onto each other, forming a spear. "This is _Cutting Tempest_. I use wind-dust crystals to create tornadoes with it."

"Impressive." Ruby put her katana back into its sheath as she gave Dew's spear another once-over. It was mainly gold in colour, with the grip in its middle the only exception with its colour being dark blue.

"What about your semblance?"

"I can return projectiles to the attacker with several times its original power and speed. I can also channel my semblance into Tempest and use it as a bat, so to speak," Dew answered with a grin.

"Very impressive. You might be able to hold your own in battle yet." Ruby took a moment to seize Dew up again.

Her new partner just raised a brow at her. "You really are cocky, you know that?"

Ruby shrugged in return. "I can afford to be."

Crossing one leg over the other, Dew leaned forward, her elbow resting on the table and her chin propped up in the palm of her hand. Her gaze fixated onto Ruby and she returned that gaze steadily. "You are an interesting kid."

Ruby scoffed. "You are two years older than me if I'm guessing right. That hardly qualifies you to call me 'kid'."

Her partner shrugged. "Two years are still two years though, aren't they? Anyway, let's head back, we've only got ten minutes left."

"Very well then."

Ruby got up from her chair, her hand resting on her sheathed weapon, relishing on the comfort of feeling it against her hip and her palm.

While she did pride herself on her stoic demeanour and very rational and opportunistic outlook to the world, weapons were her one and only guilty pleasure. She was always fascinated by the creativity and work put into tools to hurt or even kill other beings – may they be Grimm or humans or Faunus.

Both her partner and she arrived back at the arena room. Ruby had to wonder if this room was created for the sole purpose of today or if it usually was used as a classroom or lecture hall. Either way, it was the place where she would defeat any opponent trying to come between her and her goal, that much she was sure of.

The first fight was over surprisingly quickly. Both teams were all male, but one team had superior talent compared to the other.

It was interesting to see what her fellow applicants had in store, although she had to admit that a feeling of slight disappointment was creeping in as she continued to follow the fights. A lot of her competition was, as she first suspected, very average and some even below that. So far, the only one slightly impressing her was a Brawnz Ni paired with a Roy Stallion, both seemingly adept fighters with Brawnz particularly catching her eye as he quickly tore into his opponents with his hand-to-hand combat style.

For a while the fight seemed to reach a stalemate until Roy fired his circular saw-blades, forcing their opponents to dodge and giving both him and Brawnz the opening to finish them off.

"They were impressive," Dew mused. Ruby approved how her eyes never left the arena while the next group of applicants were getting ready to face off.

"At least they weren't as disappointing as the rest we've seen so far," Ruby commented offhandedly. "I was expecting more."

"What do you mean?"

"This is supposed to be an academy preparing teenagers to defend Remnant from creatures of Grimm, is it not? From what I've seen so far, even those who have won their match-ups would struggle against anything beyond a juvenile Beowolf."

"And you wouldn't?" Dew raised an eyebrow at her partner.

"A glare from me would be more than enough to crush even the fiercest Grimm you could imagine," Ruby replied, a small smile toying at the corner of her lips.

It wasn't like she was lying either. When Raven had told her about what her silver eyes really were, Ruby couldn't and wouldn't believe it. But then, there was the story about the four maidens. There was the fact that Raven herself was one of them after she had offered the former spring maiden the mercy of death to free her from her responsibilities. That maiden had been weak and wouldn't have lasted long, after all. Ruby knew that having her mother own that kind of power instead of that weak girl who had owned it before was the most responsible way to go.

But all those things, all those outlandish magical things had been right before her very own eyes. _They existed_. So, why shouldn't her eyes be what Raven had said they were?

She had trained even more than she had already done, but not with weapons, not with fists.

No, Raven had gone with her into Grimm-infested forests and had her face them without a sword. Of course, Ruby could have run using her semblance, but what would that have accomplished? She would have done nothing but proven that she was weak, and she hadn't wanted to be weak. The time when Raven had started the training with her eyes was when Ruby had finally started to improve with her fighting. It would have been a step backwards if she had run away, so she had stood her ground.

But she also had been scared.

_"Stop focusing on your emotions, Ruby! Focus on wanting to destroy Grimm! Focus on preserving life – yours, mine, your family's!"_

She had wanted those Grimm gone. She had wanted to be safe. She had wanted Raven to be safe and Vernal and the tribe.

She remembered a brilliant white flash in the depth of her mind, a splitting headache and a bleeding nose.

Raven had to carry her back to the camp. She had been told about how pale she had been, shivering and not fully there. Once she had been rested she had been told that the Grimm were still very alive, but even that small flash she had managed had been enough to partially freeze them where they stood. According to Raven, her power was supposed to destroy them, but for a first-time-use, it hadn't been a bad attempt.

_"I didn't expect anything out of that trip, but you surprised me, little gem. Maybe we'll make a proper Branwen out of you yet."_

"Ruby Branwen and Dew Gayle versus Coby Cerulio and Nova Gray."

"Finally," Ruby muttered under her breath, having started to become bored watching weaklings after weaklings pretending to fight.

Dew, on the other hand, appeared to be a bit nervous, which surprised Ruby. From what her partner had told her, she shouldn't need to worry. Even if she was far away from mastering her skill set, it should still be enough to breeze through this trial.

Once they reached their battleground, Ruby took stock of their opposition. Coby, from what she could make out at first glance, seemed to be a brawler if his pair of thick brass knuckles were any indicator. She wondered if that was all he had, but she probably wouldn't find out today.

Nova Gray, on the other hand, had a whip at the ready and, if she was in any way adept of using it, then she could turn out to be a bit of a problem, but still, Ruby didn't worry too much.

Hearing her partner take a calming breath, Ruby refrained herself from rolling her eyes and focused herself to the task at hand instead.

"Are both teams ready?"

The four applicants nodded at Professor Nox's question.

"Then your test starts…now!"

Coby didn't waste a moment to engage Ruby, who activated her semblance, leaving nothing but rose petals behind as she dodged him. She then swept his legs from under him with a semblance powered kick, giving Dew the chance to smash the length of her spear into his stomach, winding him.

Ruby turned her attention to Nova, the girl frozen and wide-eyed, probably shocked at how quickly her strong-looking partner was taken out by her, a petite girl.

Once again using the speed of her semblance to power her attacks, Ruby drove a foot into her opponent's stomach, sending her flying out of the arena.

To her surprise, though, Nova managed to fling her whip at her, catching her ankle. A gust of wind slowed her flying with the momentum of her opponent and she used that time to draw her katana, using it as an anchor.

Nova, having somehow recuperated mid-flight, got back to her feet, wincing and holding her stomach, making Ruby smirk.

Ruby, getting back to her feet, gave Nova another once-over before sheathing her katana. "Tch. That was a neat little trick, you caught me by surprise."

Behind her, she could hear Dew fighting with Coby, but she was sure that the gust of wind came from her partner. Albeit reluctantly, Ruby had to admit to herself that she would have to thank Dew later for that. It would have been embarrassing if she would have been knocked out by something like that.

Her opponent now looked determined and the frozen girl from before was gone. Her hand resting on her katana's hilt, Ruby dashed forward, Nova's whip cracking as it lashed out to her. Dodging it wasn't hard, but it was when Nova tracked it back when it became a bit more complicated.

From the way Nova seemed to be able to control the whip, Ruby assumed that it had some sort of mechanic wrapped inside of its leather covering. Whenever the whip coiled back, Ruby was barely able to dodge without her semblance, but she also didn't want to overuse it.

Still, she had a fight to win.

She had an academy to attend to.

She had a tribe to honour.

"Enough of this," she muttered under her breath. She then activated her semblance for the last time in this fight.

When Nova could only see her whirlwind of rose petals, her brief momentum of increasing confidence appeared to have been washed away. Ruby then reappeared behind her and struck her in the back of her head with the firm hilt of her katana, knocking her out cold.

Ruby, sheathing _Mist Thorn_ once more, turned around to see her partner gracefully wielding her spear as she dodged and deflected powerful blows from her opponent.

After dodging another blow, Dew swiped her spear low across the ground, hitting his legs and making him lose his footing before bringing his aura level below the limit with a painful blow against his stomach, using the blunt end of her spear.

"And the winners are Ruby Branwen and Dew Gayle. Congratulations, girls. You are now officially students of Shade Academy."

"We…I… _oh_!" Dew looked at a loss for words, unbelieving that they actually did it.

Ruby, on the other hand, just gave a courteous nod of acknowledgement, not having expected anything else.

Of course, they succeeded. They were both capable fighters and, most importantly, she – Ruby Branwen, adoptive daughter of Chieftain Raven Branwen – was part of the team.

Failure was not an option.

"Next up: Nebula Violette and Gwen Darcy…"

Ruby tuned the rest out when she returned to her seat, with Dew still beaming next to her. "Are you really _that_ surprised?" she asked. "I, for one, didn't expect anything less. I am even hardly winded after that fight."

Dew raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? I thought they were pretty good. Not as good as you or me, obviously, but still…"

"They were okay, but there's almost no one who can keep up with my semblance, so I suppose I do have it easier than most."

"Almost no one? Who can keep up with you? When you used it, I can barely keep up… it just looked like you disappeared in rose petals and reappeared…"

With a soft sigh, Ruby first rolled her eyes, then turned her head to look at Dew.

"I suppose I can tell you this much…my mother trained me and she is an exceptional fighter. The best I know and I know _a lot_. That is all I will say."

"You said more than enough, to be honest. If you take even a bit after your mum, then she has got to be one scary lady."

Chuckling, Ruby couldn't help the fond smile slowly appearing. "I wouldn't say 'lady', but she is scary, yes."

Ruby was sure that Raven would whack her over the head for underestimating Nova Gray the way she did, allowing her opponent even the slightest advantage, but she would still be pleased that Ruby overcame that needless, albeit small, obstacle and successfully got into Shade Academy.

* * *

"I can't believe we are in a team!"

Ruby watched from a few steps away as Dew and Nebula hugged their successful application to Shade Academy out and, as luck would have it, they were randomly thrown together into a team. From what she gathered, those two must have known each other for a while, probably even grown up together.

And now, Nebula, Dew, Gwen and she made up the newly formed Team NDGR, pronounced Indigo. It sounded neat enough, even though the R representing her didn't play a role in the pronunciation, but it didn't really matter to her.

Nebula was chosen as the team leader and it made sense to Ruby. When watching the fight, Nebula was giving commands and she had a good aura about her, an aura of command and authority, although it was in no way even close to being comparable to what her mother emitted.

Still, Ruby didn't want to sell Nebula's qualities of leadership short before she would even have the chance to experience them hands-on.

She was sure the girl would be capable enough in her own ways.

For now, though, she would just silently bask in the excitement of her success and the future awaiting her.


	4. Sparring And A Meeting

Ruby's first week as a huntress in training was a bit anticlimactic if she were to be honest. There wasn't a lot of action to be experienced, no Grimm to be fought, no sparring to be had. It was nothing but going from class to class and then to yet another class.

On top of that, she had just had her monthlies, which, fortunately, had passed the day before, but now she craved Perid's company…it had been a while after all. All in all, she was more frustrated than anything else and it showed.

"Hey, partner, what's up with you? You've looked kinda off for a few days now...more than usual, at least."

They currently were in the cafeteria of the academy, eating – or at least her teammates were. Ruby had her head resting in the palm of her hand while her elbow was propped up on the table. Her free hand just poked around in her food with a fork.

Glancing sideways at Dew, Ruby decided to just be straightforward. "I'm bored and frustrated."

"Why?" Their leader, Nebula Violette, joined their conversation and her partner, Gwen Darcy, looked curious as well.

Heaving a sigh, Ruby's dropped fork clattered on her plate and she leaned back against her chair. "I know almost everything about Grimm there is to know, except for some native to Vacuo. I haven't had a fight – or at least a good fight – in ages and I crave some…company."

While, usually, Ruby didn't do much talking in the beginning and mostly kept to herself, her teammates made her promise after not even the first day, that she opened up more to them. Ruby, though, didn't understand what her being more open had to do with anything. Nebula did threaten that, if Ruby felt bad or sick or anything else that could threaten the team's performance in the academy or elsewhere, but decided not to notify the team or wasn't honest when asked, that she would complain about it to the headmistress.

_"I'd rather have someone new replace a bad teammate than have to deal with a bad teammate, so get your act together because, honestly, I'd hate to have a good fighter like you being replaced."_

Ruby had to admit that she admired Nebula's straightforward, no-nonsense-attitude.

Ruby also had to admit that she did not want to return to her tribe early because of her attitude. Vernal would never let her live that down and her mother would be beyond cross with her.

"Why do you crave company? You have us." Gwen smiled kindly at her.

"Not that kind of company, Gwen. I meant company…of the naked kind," Ruby said. "You know, like –" She made a circle with the thumb and index finger of one hand and pushed the index finger of the other hand through while looking at Gwen, her eyes full of mischief.

"Well, uh, we can't help you with _that_ kind of company…" Ruby was amused that Nebula still tried to be serious and play down the fact that one of her teammates was distracted because she was…horny.

"You are only fifteen years old!" Dew exclaimed, her eyes teary and face red after she had choked on her water.

Ruby looked at Dew with a bewildered expression. "And?"

"You're...young!"

"Are we seriously-"

"Ladies, please!"

Both Ruby and her partner looked at their leader, who pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"I seriously couldn't care less when people have their first times…at least as long as it is legal, so, please, leave this matter alone. Ruby can decide for herself when and with whom she does whatever she does."

Dew looked disappointed that she wasn't being backed up by her best friend, but only for a moment; she threw her hands up in defeat. " _Fine_."

"…thank you, Nebula."

The indigo-haired leader gave Ruby a quick nod before returning to the matter at hand. "So…your other problems…that you are bored in class, well we can't help you there either. But I am sure that one of us would be willing to spar with you and it might even help you take off the edge of your, uh…other _particular_ problem."

"Did I hear something about sparring?"

Four heads turned simultaneously at the voice and, once Ruby saw the person it belonged to, she gave a quick nod.

"Nolan."

"Ruby."

"You two know each other?" Dew asked after observing the greeting.

"Yes," Ruby confirmed. "He was the first acquaintance I made in Vacuo when I arrived. And yes," Ruby turned her attention back to Nolan, "I was getting bored since our fighting class won't start for another two weeks, so I think my team offered to spar with me."

"How about me?" Nolan offered. "I'm getting bored myself and I've been curious about what you can do when you are serious."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, you only used your weapon in initiation to knock that girl out in the end. You didn't give it your all."

Ruby smirked at that; he wasn't that wrong after all. "How about your entire team against me?"

"Now you are just being cocky." Nolan laughed it off but faltered as Ruby's expression didn't show even a hint of a joke behind her question. "You are serious."

"I am."

Nolan didn't say anything for a moment, then turned to his teammates, who all looked confused and even a bit offended.

"What do you guys say?" he asked them.

While they were discussing her proposition, Ruby noticed Dew eyeing Nolan's team. She was raising her brows when Dew lingered on team BRNZ's leader. Ruby snickered lowly when her partner quickly averted her gaze upon seeing the small twitch of his lips and the barely noticeable way he glanced at her. He knew Dew was staring and didn't seem to mind one bit.

"Alright, Ruby. Your challenge is on," Nolan finally said once they had come to a decision.

She nodded with a grin. She now had something to look forward to, without a doubt. "Good. I think we have another class in a few minutes, but after that I'm free. Let me give you my scroll contact, so you can call me when you and your team are free to spar." Ruby held out her scroll, as did Nolan, and, a second later, both devices let out a _beep_ of confirmation that both contacts were exchanged.

"You can always back out, you know." Nolan smirked at her.

Ruby, however, was unfazed. "And here I was just about to offer the same to you."

Chuckling at her, the redhead squeezed her shoulder when he and his team finally made their way out of the cafeteria. "See ya later, Ruby."

Ruby just raised an eyebrow at him for touching her with such familiarity, then shook her head. She turned back to her team. "So, which class is next?"

* * *

The desert sun was slowly starting to set when Ruby arrived in the combat classroom with its small training arena. She was keeping a small bit of a distance between herself and her team, like she usually did, and was thankful that it didn't seem to bother the other three girls.

Once inside, Ruby quickly caught sight of her opponents. She was excited to see just how well she would deal against four strong looking fighters all by herself. Despite her arrogance – and she was well aware that she was arrogant – she knew it was unlikely that she would come out as the victor in this spar.

Three of her opponents were physically stronger than her. Of course, she had her speed and years of training under her mother, many real fights under life-and-death circumstances, kills under her belt – but none of those things were important here.

_"No one battle is ever comparable to any of your previous battles, Ruby. No one opponent is ever the same. Treat every battle as a first. Analyse your opponents. Learn their weaknesses. Use their weaknesses against them. Know your strengths and limits. If you think you will easily win a battle because you fought a sword wielder once before then you are already dead."_

Her mother never was one to beat around the bush. She was a blunt woman; strict and direct. But those lessons of hers were what gave Ruby her confidence in the first place.

She had to admit one thing though: aside from team BRNZ's leader and his partner, she had no clue about what the rest of the team was capable of, not even Nolan.

Feeling several pairs of eyes on her, Ruby made her way down to the arena. "So," she began, her hand resting on the hilt of her katana, "are you ready?"

"We should be the ones asking _you_ that question, kid." Brawnz Ni, the leader of her opponents, had his arms crossed as he eyed her with a good-natured smile.

Ruby, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at being called 'kid'. "I say, we should begin. The initiation's rules."

Brawnz shot a glance at his teammates who all just shrugged. "Alright. Do you want someone to referee?"

"I can do that," Nebula offered.

Giving her captain a quick nod, Ruby stepped into the ring with team BRNZ following her.

Nebula cast a quick look at her and Team BRNZ. "Everyone ready? Alright then…fight!"

Having quickly taken a look at the weapons of her opponents before her team captain gave them the go, Ruby wasted no time to dash at the sole girl in team BRNZ, using her semblance. Once in front of the girl, Ruby drew and slashed with her Mist Thorn in one smooth motion at her opponent, the girl's reflexes barely enough to block the attack with her sniper rifle, the force still knocking her to the edge of the arena.

"May!" Nolan's eyes were wide at seeing his partner overpowered so quickly, but, to Ruby, it wasn't a surprise: her simple sniper rifle just made it obvious that she wasn't great at close combat.

Nolan quickly engaged Ruby with his cattle prod, the sparks making it clear that he used it like a taser. Ruby blocked the attack with her katana before dodging a flying, circular saw, shot at her from Roy Stallion.

Him, she remembered from initiation. He seemed to be a capable opponent.

It was then that Brawnz engaged her, his weapon being claws and armoured knees.

Ruby was barely able to keep up, dodging and blocking three opponents at once, before she finally felt her aura flare as it blocked the damage from one of Brawnz' clawed fists, but doing nothing to stop her from feeling the pain.

Activating her semblance, she quickly disengaged from her opponents, sheathing her katana and taking a quick breather.

"That was intense."

"I'm impressed you were able to keep up for so long," Roy commented.

"I trained my semblance for many years now, which helped me to keep up with a lot of things, rapidly being attacked by several opponents being one of them." She grinned. "Being fast does not stop the world from blurring, so my eyes and other senses had to adapt to my speed, otherwise my semblance would be useless to me."

"As I said: impressive."

Ruby gave him a small smirk in return. Suddenly, she had to dodge a dust bullet aimed at her. She chuckled. The sniper girl was glaring and aiming at her.

"Shoot the enemy while they are not paying attention. I like that," Ruby said.

Activating her semblance again, she charged at the girl once more but had to dodge mid-air, lest she would have taken a nasty hit from Roy's saws.

Ruby could tell that BRNZ already had an impressive synergy going on for them. Not once were the boys in each other's ways when focusing on her, a single target, and whenever she managed to give herself some space to take a breather, she had to dodge the sniper. BRNZ also managed to prevent her from taking out the girl. They may not be able to keep up with her speed, but they didn't have to because Roy's aim and timing with his saws was deadly.

The fight continued for another few minutes until Nebula finally called its end. "Team BRNZ wins. Ruby's aura is below its limit."

Ruby sighed. "And here I had hoped to at least take one of you out."

"You made us work for it, Ruby," Nolan said, giving her a light punch on the shoulder and grinning good-naturedly.

She grinned back at him. "I should hope so."

"You didn't even expect to win?" The girl asked her, looking surprised when doing so. "I'm May Zedong by the way, I don't think we've been introduced."

"Ruby Branwen," Ruby said with a nod. "Of course I didn't expect to win. In a one-on-one, I am certain I could best almost everyone in this school, if not actually everyone. But a four-on-one is almost impossible. A semblance can carry someone only so far and I still have a lot to learn myself."

"Who are you and what have you done to Ruby? Never in her life would she be so humble," Dew joked when she joined the group, followed by the rest of NDGR.

"She just said she could beat everyone in the academy. How's that humble?" Brawnz asked.

"But she also said that she still had a lot to learn. That's humble for her."

"You do realize I'm still here, right?"

* * *

When Raven saw her twin enter this shady, Mistrali pub, she narrowed her eyes at him. He looked as roguish and unkempt as ever and she didn't expect anything else. He probably still stank of alcohol and cigarettes as well.

She watched him order his drink and make his way into the back to find himself a table at a nice and dark corner.

Rummaging in his dress pants' pocket, he pulled out a banged-up pack of cigarettes and lit one.

She walked to his table. "You should really drop that habit, or you might die early."

Glancing at her, he scoffed, then took a deep drag. "Might be a relief."

Raven sat down across from Qrow, her face impassive when she took a closer look at him. It was a disgrace to the tribe and he should not be carrying the Branwen name, but there was nothing she could do.

If Qrow was any other former member of their tribe, she would have killed him without hesitation but, alas, she did not want to be branded a kin-slayer. Also, as much as she hated to admit it, she did not actively hate her brother. She was disappointed in him, yes, maybe even ashamed of him, but she did not hate him.

"Why did you contact me?"

Qrow, after taking another deep drag, gave her a humourless smirk. "What, can't a man ask how his sister's doing?"

She kept her impassive posture and expression on, not allowing herself to be baited by her sibling. She leaned back in her chair before crossing one leg over the other, not saying a word.

"Such a joy reminiscing with you…anyway," Qrow said, taking a sip from his drink. "I heard some interesting things from one of my contacts at Shade Academy."

She scoffed at him. "You have contacts now? Ozpin must be proud."

"Apparently, they got a new student," Qrow went on, ignoring her remark, "first in quite a while to successfully apply at only fifteen years old…has a very unique eye colour."

Raven narrowed her eyes, knowing where this was going. "And what does any of that have to do with me?"

Qrow leaned forward on the table, the cigarette between his fingers burning, the smoke creating a veil between him and Raven. "What really caught my attention was the name under which she applied. Ruby Branwen."

Raven sighed. Back when they had still been a team – Summer, Tai, Qrow and she – Ozpin had told them about the powerful relics, had told them that each Academy hid a relic. Of course, the headmasters and -mistresses would be in contact and, of course, when one of their students had silver eyes it would catch their attention. Unfortunately, her brother had to still work for Ozpin and her little gem had to have silver eyes.

Her brother's voice lowered menacingly as he continued. "Did you think that we just gave up on her? That _I_ would just give up? If there's one good thing coming out of working for Ozpin, then it is that a lot of people all over Remnant owe me. Shade's headmistress included."

Raven scoffed at that. "And you asked for information on your lost niece?"

"I care about family."

"If you really did, you would not have betrayed yours."

"Happens when your 'family' happens to be a group of bandits and murderers. Now tell me," Qrow went on before Raven could retort, "what happened to Ruby? When did you take her, why did you take her?"

"What makes you think that I will tell you anything, Qrow?"

"She is my niece."

"And my daughter. I raised her as my own, as a Branwen, as befits her destiny. She will finish her education in a huntsman academy and return to her tribe. Unlike you." Getting up from her seat, Raven glared at her brother. "I suggest you do not contact her and you keep her whereabouts to yourself. She will tell me if anything is amiss. But, if you do, there will be consequences, Qrow. Stay away from Ruby."

"So, you raise someone else's child as your daughter, but not your own?" Qrow clearly couldn't help that scathing remark, but Raven remained untouched.

"You know what the circumstances were."

With that, she opened a portal and left.


	5. Into The Desert

The early morning was hot, but then again, that was always the case in Vacuo. After two months, Ruby was growing more and more accustomed to the heat of the desert. Granted, so far the recruits hadn't spent any lengthy period outside of the academy if it hadn't been of their own will, since the professors had yet to take them outside on hunts or any trips in general.

Ruby woke up with a yawn, stretching like a cat and letting out a satisfied moan as a series of pops ran down her back. Once she felt awake enough, she had to grimace because her long hair was sticking wetly to her neck.

She got up and moved to the bathroom, ready to start her morning routine. Taking off her shirt, she dropped it into the laundry hamper and, almost traditional by now, her hand touched the scars she received from a Beowolf when she still had been a child; a constant reminder of how she ended up with Raven in the first place.

Before stepping into the shower, she took a razor from her toiletry bag. Who said a member of a bandit tribe could not want to feel clean and pretty?

* * *

Classes were still things she struggled with regularly. It wasn't even because she particularly disliked studying or theoretical work in general; she simply struggled for no other reason than preferring a hands-on approach. Sitting down and thinking about things just was not her style.

She knew she probably would never make a particularly outstanding leader and she was glad that, for her team, it was Nebula who had to bear that burden. Sure, Ruby could probably motivate people by doing things instead of showing patience and thinking things through first, but, when working with others, it simply did not work that way. That was also the reason why her mother and Vernal were still reluctant to let her be in charge for once during a raid and, while she was arrogant without a doubt, she was still not arrogant enough to not understand where they were coming from.

It was a frustrating thing, this one big flaw of hers she seemingly could not get rid of.

But it was finally time for a class to take place outside and Ruby showed more excitement than she had in the past months since she started attending Shade Academy. The group of first semester students were all huddled together in an airship that would take them to the borders of Shade's grounds, a place where supposedly a large group of weaker Grimm native to Vacuo were to be found and which they were supposed to kill.

Apparently, the nest had been around forever and, no matter how many classes every year exterminated it, within the year it would always be occupied again. It was both convenient and inconvenient. The academy decided decades ago to let the nest be, so the coming classes could always have these weak Grimm to exterminate as their first outdoor class at Shade, while it still could be monitored closely.

"Now class," their Grimm Defence professor, an older man by the name of Vector Heize, began, "which of you remembers the last Grimm we talked about during class? Miss Branwen, how about you?"

Ruby sighed, annoyed that class continued even during a flight with an airship. "The Gila, professor."

"Correct! And do you remember any characteristics of the Gila you want to share with us?"

"They are slow and attack from below ground. They don't have lots of protection, unlike a Deathstalker for example, but they can swallow a fully grown human in one bite."

"Very good, Miss Branwen! No matter how big or small a Grimm is, never underestimate them. Gilas aren't particularly small, to begin with, the biggest recorded was about 8.2 feet in length from head to tail and 3.3 feet in shoulder height. They are not ferocious attackers, but deadly ambush hunters. When you don't know that one is close by and they get the jump on you, you are already dead."

Ruby turned her attention back to the window she was sitting next to, staring outside. There was nothing but sand as far as she could see, and she wondered why Shade Academy was built so…out there, so far away from everything.

"You excited?" Dew asked her with a grin of her own.

Ruby glanced at her partner before giving a slight nod. "As a matter of fact, I kind of am. I hope there will be a few Grimm for each of us, otherwise, it would probably be over too quickly."

The flight took another few minutes until the airship slowly started its descent. Once on firm ground, the group of students made their way outside into the scorching desert sun, Ruby glad that she had opted for traditional Vacuan desert garbs consisting of a light and wide fitting, colourful white and red dress with light leggings underneath, long and light socks and comfortable sandals. Her head was covered in the traditional Vacuan headwear worn by the desert-dwelling folk, especially the women, to prevent the sun from beating down on her. Her boots were too heavy for the soft desert sand and the few times she had gone outside the academy in them she had hated walking in the sand. These sandals, however, gave her just the light feet and freedom of movement she needed in the sand for her fighting style.

The fact that she looked gorgeous in these clothes was just a bonus, if she may say so herself.

"Look at you, Ruby! Looking like a true, Vacuan desert-dwelling lady."

Ruby looked behind her and could not help the small smile that broke out of her face.

These past couple of months, she could not deny that she had warmed up to this group of people she had gotten to know; her team members and team BRNZ with Nolan in particular.

"I hope that's a good thing," she replied while she and her team waited for the three boys and their sole female member to join them.

Once the eight of them had all greeted each other, they followed the rest of the student body, who were led into vast and sandy dunes. However, as Nebula had pointed out, the Vacuan government made it a point to place markers all over the desert to either warn from Grimm hotspots or to highlight the safest trading routes.

Maybe, someday, when her tribe would have to relocate away from Anima, she could point them to Sanus. Her by now trained eyes were already picking out potential ambush positions while she glanced left and right.

Their professor droned on and on about the natural dangers the desert of Vacuo could have on an unprepared huntsman and huntress.

They had all been given a list of essentials they had been supposed to bring with them. The academy had provided them with bags they could use on days certain classes would be held outdoors and Ruby was glad they did because the small bag she brought from her tribe to the academy on that first day was too small for all the water bottles she'd brought with her, one of them already in her hand and half empty. She was about to take another sip from her bottle before Nolan put a hand on hers, stopping her and making her look up at him questioningly. These past months she even became accustomed to his touchy-feely ways and didn't get that annoyed at him anymore whenever he touched her.

"Don't drink in sips, but in swallows when you need water. If you just take sips your vital organs may not get the water they need."

"Oh. Okay, thank you."

"Very good, Mr Porfirio," their professor called out, having heard his tip for her. "I take it you have no experience with long exposure to the desert, Ms Branwen?"

Ruby shook her head. "No, Professor. I've lived all my life in Anima and this is a first for me."

"Mhm, then you better listen to your friends! I already approve of your choice of clothing."

She shrugged, looking down at herself and her new attire. "Dew showed me some shops around campus and made me buy them."

"A good choice," the Professor continued from his position ahead of them. "These types of garbs and headwear are one of the reasons why our Vacuan desert dwellers have survived all these centuries. They are a very simple yet practical way to protect oneself from the sun. Some may think that less clothing protects someone from heat, but that is not true in the desert. Any exposed skin, Ms Rose, just encourages perspiration and perspiration means lost fluids for the body which is a deadly thing to happen out here and, out here, nature is just as formidable a foe as any Grimm one may encounter."

* * *

After a good amount of walking through the dunes and following the signs put out by the Vacuan governing bodies, the students and their professor arrived at what appeared to be rocky formations.

"We've arrived, dear students. Stay together and watch out for each other. We have yet to lose a student out here and I would like to keep it so."

"What exactly are we supposed to do, Professor?" one of the students asked.

Ruby scoffed and kept a hand on the hilt of her katana while her eyes were trained on the ground.

"Exterminate the nest and don't get eaten."

Ruby chuckled at that, but that chuckle vanished as soon as it came when she saw sand pebbles vibrate and deform under Nolan's feet, which he didn't seem to realize. "Nolan, below you."

The redhead glanced at her before looking down and not a moment too soon did he dash away. A wide, pitch-black maw shot out and snapped shut. Ruby dashed towards it with her semblance and drew her weapon in a sharp arc, cutting through the Grimm easily.

Giving Nolan a cocky grin, Ruby sheathed her weapon again, then jumped up with her semblance once more, this time a maw breaking through the sand and going for her.

The students quickly dove into the fights, itching to slay Grimm for a while now after having been confined into the security of the academy for so long.

There was no fear or panic amongst the student body. It simply was a matter of Grimm after Grimm being slain. Ruby's hopes that there would be enough Grimm for everyone certainly were fulfilled. Even their Professor was fighting with them, giving them tips throughout the skirmish.

With all the first semester students it took them the better part of a couple of hours until there were no more Gila trying to ambush them from below.

There were slaps on shoulders being exchanged and stories about particularly exciting moves being shared, making Ruby roll her eyes at her fellow students.

"Tch, they act like they just saved the whole of Remnant or something," she muttered under her breath, but not low enough for her team leader to miss it.

"Didn't you have fun? I know I did."

"It was fun, don't get me wrong," Ruby admitted when she sat down on the sand and drank from her water, prompting the rest of NDGR to do the same, "but I don't see the point in making a bigger deal out of this than it was. Those Grimm were weak."

Nebula rolled her eyes at her good-natured. "Maybe, but it was still a good workout. Just enjoy the fact that we got to do this."

"Eh," Ruby shrugged but didn't comment any further. She knew she was used to other things, to harsher training, to actual life and death situations. She knew her teammates didn't grow up as she did, or, maybe, not exactly as she did – after all, most of the students here were Vacuo natives and Vacuo was infamous for its mostly lawless state. There were bound to be some who had to have lived somewhat harsh lives, so she wasn't going to judge her fellow huntsmen- and huntresses-in-training there. But, then again, if that was the case, it made the way they were acting now even more annoying.

"Where is Mr Hansa?" Their Professor asked a group of three, huddled together. Ruby and her team were sitting close by and turned to watch the exchange, not even trying to hide their curiosity.

"He said he had t-"

The explanation was cut short when the ground suddenly rumbled below them, nervous chatter setting in.

Ruby's survival instinct activated immediately, and she knew this was not a fight they should take. If a Grimm – and she was sure it was a Grimm – could make the ground shake like this, then it was bound to be gigantic and who knew how many more Gilas were lurking below them? Had they actually killed them all?

"Students!" Professor Heize shouted, gaining everyone's attention. "Move back to the ship, just follow the signs as we did when we came here! Stay together!" The Professor then turned to Ruby, almost apologetically and she was dreading what was to come already. "Ms Branwen, I hate to do this but I will need your semblance in case Mr Hansa is still out there."

If she refused to help a fellow student she was pretty sure she'd be expelled, no questions asked. At times like these, she hated her semblance. " _Fine…_ "

Following the Professor, she headed down the path Hansa's teammates had pointed at. They made their way past some more rock formations, scarred by time and sand.

"What an idiot," Ruby muttered to herself, not bothering to care if her professor heard her or not. "Who knows what's lurking down here…"

After a few moments, they heard some whimpers and the soft sound of sand grinding on sand. They immediately headed towards it, then came to a halt.

What they saw was a gigantic, funnel-shaped pit trap with a tiny human trying to crawl out as a pair of huge mandibles quickly closed in on him.

"Ms Branwen! Now!" Professor Heize shouted at her as he drew his weapon, a high-powered sniper rifle, which, she earlier saw, could also mechashift into a battle-axe, firing shot after shot at the huge Grimm.

Cursing under her breath, Ruby crouched for a moment, took a deep breath and then charged with all she had, leaving a trail of dust and rose petals behind her before the force of her speed created enough suction for a thick cloud of debris to follow behind her. She raced at the edge of the trap, allowed herself to be dragged downwards by the sand and grabbed the collar of the Hansa boy, the momentum of her speed giving her the chance to jump with just enough footing to get them both out.

The Grimm, however, was less than pleased and, with a high-pitched shriek, the entire body of the insectoid creature, its black form almost entirely covered by its bony exoskeleton, dragged itself out from its trap. Shrieking again, it charged at them on its six legs. Were it smaller, it would have been comical, but it was humongous, its painfully obvious awkward strides did nothing to hinder it from closing in on the two students in the blink of an eye. Ruby wrapped her arm around the boy and again activated her semblance, hiding them both in a cloud of petals as she flew them away towards their professor. They tumbled to the ground, both of them out of breath – the boy from his efforts to stay alive and crawling out of that trap, she was sure, and she from carrying around a seventeen-year-old strong and muscular boy using her semblance the entire time.

"Thank you, Ms Branwen. No homework for the next month for you."

"I can live with that. Can we leave now?"

The Professor chuckled and led them out of the cave without wasting any more time.

They were back outside in the desert, still running, the ground still shaking from the heavy steps of the Grimm chasing them.

Ruby knew she could probably just activate her eyes, but she didn't want to have the ability exposed. Her mother had told her about Qrow and Shade's headmistress and she didn't want any more attention on herself than she probably already had.

However, their situation grew direr and direr by the second. While the professor and she were more or less collected and calm despite their situation, the Hansa boy was still in a state of pure panic and, if the roars were anything to go by, he was drawing more and more Grimm towards them.

If their collective lives weren't threatened by that giant bug following them, Ruby would have smacked him black and blue, but that could always come later.

Running through the desert as the sun was setting, Ruby did something she never expected she would do and, if she were still with her tribe, she knew her mother would first smack her over the head for it and, second, would force her into gate duty for a month at least: she looked back.

She looked back to see how close the bug Grimm was to them and that was when she missed the pair of fierce-looking pincers jutting out from the sand, stepping on it and forcing it closed around her ankle, biting into her leg.

She screamed in pain and stumbled, a worm-like Grimm with a death grip on her ankle shooting out from the sand before trying to drag her down with surprising strength.

"Ms Branwen!" Her Professor called out, aiming for the worm's body, which was not as thickly covered in the Grimm-typical bone armour, forcing its pincers to release her leg. She drew Mist Thorn and cut the worm in half but, not a moment later, all she could see was the insectoid maw of the giant bug looming over her.

With no other choice, she focused, her steely gaze illuminating the darkening desert and freezing the bug while evaporating any other Grimm that were close by.

Her katana still in her hand, she pierced the bug's underbelly, forcing cracks to form before it crumbled around her into pieces of brittle rocks.

Her Professor rushed towards her. "Ms Branwen? Are you alright? Can you stand?"

She winced in pain when trying to move that leg. "I'm alright, but my leg is a mess…I used up so much of my aura to carry around that idiot with my semblance, it didn't protect me at all…"

"While I do not condone your language, I will indeed have to have a word with Mr Hansa about wandering off by himself like that." The Professor gave the other student a stern look before helping Ruby up. "And there seems to be our taxi already looking for us," he said when they could hear the sounds of a bullhead's engine. "You are lucky, Ms Branwen, your classmates will not have to see your teacher carry you around after all."

Ruby let out an audible sigh of relief at that.


	6. Interlude

The coming months after the field trip went by with a lot less excitement. If Ruby was honest, she didn't mind that fact, considering she was closer than she would have liked to losing a foot. She had made sure that the boy was very aware of what she had thought about the fact that she had had to risk her life and a literal limb to save him from his stupidity. His team hadn't particularly appreciated it, but she didn't care and, surprisingly, neither did her own team.

Even the soft-spoken and kind-hearted Gwen agreed that a huntsman with that lack of a sense for self-preservation was doomed to die sooner rather than later.

The only positive that she had taken out of that fiasco was that she only had to use crutches for a single week, while her aura was replenishing itself and healing her injury.

The entire event blew over pretty quickly though and Ruby was glad about that. The entire profession appeared to be getting more attention than necessary, something that irked Ruby immensely. She knew that she, herself, was special, thanks to her eyes, but that did not mean that she enjoyed the attention. A lot of the students, however, appeared to be exactly all about the fame, glory and money that came with this career.

If she had to choose between spending the rest of her life with her tribe or as a huntress, Ruby knew that there would be no actual choice to be made. First of all, she _had_ promised to go back to the tribe and she never broke her word. Secondly, the tribe was her life; she grew up there and they accepted her with open arms. How could she throw that away? There was no way, especially after experiencing the obvious downsides of this career first hand, that she would ever throw away what Raven had given her. The tribe's chief took her in as her own, raised her as if she had given birth to Ruby.

And yet, after all this time, all these years under Raven's tutelage, guidance, training, parenting and so many more things, she still thought about Summer.

Especially today, because to the day twelve years ago she had learned that her mother had officially been declared as Missing In Action.

Ruby knew now that it couldn't have been simple Grimm that killed her mother, not with her Silver Eyes. According to Raven, Summer had been very proficient in using them since she, more than once, had saved the day for the, then, Infamous Team STRQ.

But Raven had also told her that people with this very special trait had been hunted mercilessly for various reasons. Raven was sure it was because of her eyes Summer had been killed. Raven was also sure that it was Ozpin to blame because he had put her on specifically dangerous missions to fight against Salem's minions.

Ruby trusted Raven unconditionally. Never once had she lied to her, never once had she betrayed Ruby's trust and Ruby saw no point whatsoever to start doubting her tribe's chief on Summer's disappearance.

Ruby knew her life would have been very, very different if Summer Rose had still been alive. She probably would have been raised to be an upstanding citizen, she probably would have seen huntresses and huntsmen as heroes and asked for their autographs had she ever happened to meet one.

She was glad it didn't come to that. From where she stood now, so much naivety was sickening to her. The people were blind with seeing eyes. They saw heroes when there were none. They romanticized an everlasting and ultimately hopeless battle against an ancient and otherworldly foe.

Of course, she _did_ regret the time she never would have with her birth-mother, but she did not regret the second mother

and the second life she had gained.

Sure, she had essentially become a criminal, an outlaw. She stole from others, killed others, but it was what it was – she enjoyed her life all the same. Summer would never have approved and Raven had made that very clear, several times, but Ruby had persevered.

She missed her mother, Summer, but thinking of what she had now, that Raven had chosen to fill that role in her life, made it bearable.

Even in days like today, when she remembered that heartbreak upon hearing of her mother's disappearance and presumed death, Raven's steadfast presence helped, even when she wasn't present.

However, it seemingly did not keep her from being somewhat distracted as she missed the footsteps approaching her. To say she was thoroughly mortified at the startled jump and shriek that escaped her when a hand touched her on her shoulder would be an understatement.

She felt her face heat up as a furious blush covered her cheeks, her wide-eyed gaze screaming murder at the laughing culprit.

"I am so disappointed that I won't have this recorded with my scroll cam!"

"I will kill you in your sleep."

The threat didn't deter Nolan's shit-eating grin. He sat down next to her, outside the academy, his pants rolled up and boots taken off before he let his feet dangle in the water surrounding the academy.

"What's up?"

Ruby raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"You've been kinda distracted the whole day."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or threatened that you apparently have been watching me all day." She smiled mischievously at Nolan coughing into his fist, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Don't deflect the question; are you alright?"

A small sigh escaped her and she looked down into the clear water, her bare feet absorbing the refreshing cool it provided.

"Today's…just a day that never fails to make me reflect on some things." It wasn't much, but it was something.

Nolan, however, insisted on more. "And?"

She shrugged. "And nothing. That's all there is to it."

Nolan sighed. "You know you don't always have to carry your problems alone, right?"

Chuckling at that, Ruby gave Nolan a small smile. "I know that. I've already talked with my mother about it several times over the years so there's no need. If I needed to, I could talk with her again, so, really, no need." They were quiet for a couple of moments before Ruby spoke up again. "Thank you, by the way," she added with an awkward mumble. If it wasn't her mother she was thanking, she always felt awkward thanking people for anything.

"Suit yourself then," Nolan said with a shrug before lying down on his back, his arms folded behind his head, forming a cushion. "You excited about next week?"

Nodding, Ruby did the same as Nolan and laid down on her back with her hands folded behind her head, exposing her midriff as her shirt rode up. "Yes, I really am excited. I want to win this tournament and I am confident that I will."

He chuckled. "No surprise there."

She noticed how Nolan was unable to stop himself from glancing at her exposed skin. She also noticed him raising an eyebrow at the bite scars; pale against her by now tanned skin. "How'd you get those?" He asked, pointing at the marred skin.

"That." Ruby's hand reflexively touched the markings before she shrugged her shoulders. "Beowolf…I was four or five I think."

"What happened?" he asked.

Ruby sighed. "It's obvious, isn't it? A Beowolf bit me."

"You seem pretty chill about that, considering…well…the fact that a beowolf could have just eaten you."

Allowing herself a small laugh, Ruby turned her head to look at the redhead. "At the time it was…traumatizing, but I've grown up since then. There's not much that can scare me at this point and I won't let a couple of scars cripple me."

"Fair enough."

With nothing else to be said, they just laid there as the sun was slowly setting in the desert, enjoying the cooling temperature.

* * *

"Ruby."

"Mother."

She could not help the grin spreading across her face at seeing her mother for the first time in months in the flesh again.

When Raven allowed herself a soft smile while inviting Ruby to a hug, she didn't hesitate.

"I missed you too, little gem."

Ruby squeezed her arms tightly around Raven's middle. "It's so good to see you, mother! How is Vernal? How is the tribe doing? Did you raid villages?"

"Let us sit down first." Raven released her and brushed her hair from her face before distancing herself again.

"Of course!" The two sat down outside in the darkness of the desert, the only illumination provided by the academy's lamps. Ruby recognized her mother's commanding posture immediately and followed suit.

"As for your questions…we are doing considerably well," Raven began, "but, obviously, without your semblance, it isn't as easy anymore."

"I can always help," she offered immediately. "With your semblance, it's no problem for me to wander between Vacuo and Mistral."

"That isn't necessary, Ruby," Raven quickly shut her idea down. "I have another reason why I decided to show up anyways."

"The Vytal Tournament." It was obvious.

Raven nodded. "Indeed. You are leaving tomorrow for Beacon?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

Her mother sighed, a hand on her hips and a frown on her face. "I don't like the idea of you being there, but I trust you."

"I will inform you as soon as I feel like being watched," she said, trying to ease her mother's worries.

"And?"

"I won't talk to Qrow, Tai or Ozpin unless I don't have any choice," she added, remembering the rules her mother had drilled into her before she had left for Shade. After all, it had been clear that she would end up in Vale sooner or later because of the tournament.

If Raven still was deeply worried about her being that close to the wizard's clutches, she didn't show it. Ruby also knew that there still was more, however, and when her mother took a deep breath her feeling was proven right.

"I have something to ask of you, Ruby, and I leave it up to you as it should not be your burden. However, I don't want to risk being seen." Her mother paused, seemingly ringing with her words. "For the time you stay in Vale...I would like...for you to watch over Yang."

"Oh. Of course, I will do it," Ruby answered without hesitation, despite the surprise at the request.

Her mother let out a deep breath. "Thank you, Ruby."

She nodded. "You are very welcome, mother." Then, it was her turn to pause for a moment. "And, despite everything…she still is my sister after all."

* * *

The day had finally arrived and Ruby was more than ready to see Beacon Academy. Despite her mother's warnings, she could barely contain herself. Her team, Team BRNZ and a few upper-class-teams were to represent Shade Academy against other huntsmen and huntresses in training from all over Remnant.

While she did not particularly care for the official reason behind the tournament's existence, the competitive side of her could not wait to prove herself.

Then there was also Yang, of course. That was something she wasn't sure how to feel about. Ruby hadn't seen her half-sister since…that day. She wasn't even entirely sure what Yang had been told about what had happened to her. Ruby was sure that all her sister saw was how her little sister was being carried off in the maw of a Beowolf. It was the last they had ever seen of each other…but that was soon to change.

It would be an awkward reunion, that much was certain.

"Hey there, partner!"

Ruby rolled her eyes as Dew leaned onto the ship's railing next to her. "Dew."

"What do you think Vale's going to be like?"

"Not sure…I never was in the city."

"Wha-?"

Ruby winked at Dew as she processed the implications of what her words could mean. "I was born on Patch, a small island west of Vale. But, most of my life, I've spent in Anima."

"Oh." Dew was silent for a while, just staring out into the sea with her partner.

"Why'd you move?"

"No reason," Ruby answered without missing a beat. If Dew even caught onto her lie, she didn't show, but Ruby was very confident in her ability to lie without batting an eye.

"Hm. Okay. Anyway, Nebula told me to get you, we are going to get dinner with BRNZ."

"Let's get going then," Ruby said, pushing herself away from the railing and stretching before following her partner.

The ship transporting them from the Kingdom of Vacuo to the Kingdom of Vale was paid for by Shade Academy. It was a lot more luxurious than Ruby would have expected, considering that they all were just students trying to graduate from Shade.

But, then again, this was just another proof that the entirety of the profession was a lot more glorified than it actually should be. It certainly made Ruby uncomfortable and she wondered why exactly it was that her mother had chosen this profession. Had Summer Rose been after the glory and money or were those things just a nice by-product that came with a profession that prided itself on helping and protecting those that could not do so themselves?

Raven always said that her birth-mother had very much been a humble person, always keen on lending a helping hand, always showing the desire to put others before herself.

If what Raven said was right, and Ruby saw no reason to believe otherwise, then she could not imagine her mother to have ever been truly comfortable with the attention this profession appeared to be getting.

Ruby could not deny missing her tribe immensely. The wonder of the academy had washed off quickly and laid the flaws bare for her to see. She was glad that she got to leave Shade behind for a while. Classes still needed to be attended to and since all academies had the same curriculum – with minor differences concerning local Grimm and cultural things – she would continue her classes at Beacon. Still, that change of scenery did nothing to curb her desire for raiding a village, plundering people's homes, bloodying Mist Thorn.

The chatter of her fellow students pulled her from her thoughts and she quickly caught sight of her team sitting at a large table together with Nolan, Brawnz, May and Roy. Dew and she took the free seats and after greetings were exchanged between her and the rest at the table, food was soon ordered.

Despite all of her complaints, she had to admit that the food was great, so she would at least arrive in Vale with a full stomach.


	7. Beacon

"Wake up, ladies!"

A collective groan answered the call of the only occupant of the dorm who wasn't still fast asleep.

"I swear, someday we will revolt against your tyranny," Yang muffled her protest at being woken up so early while her face was still firmly planted into her pillow. "It can't be normal to always be awake this early…"

"Early?" Rina gave Yang a look that made her astonishment at the accusation plainly obvious. "I'll have you know, missy, I've let the lot of you sleep in for an hour longer than usual on weekends!"

"While I do appreciate your…enthusiasm, there is nothing wrong with having a lie-in on weekends," Rina's partner, the heiress of the Schnee-Dust-Company, Weiss, threw in her own opinion.

"Noted." The team-leader gave a dismissive wave with her hand. "But today the students from Vacuo are coming and I want to see our potential opponents!"

"What? Why? What good does looking at your opponents do? It's not like you learn about their fighting styles or weapons by staring at them like a creep," Yang pointed out while still firmly keeping her sleepy glare on her face.

"Yang's not wrong," the blonde's partner's calm voice joined the conversation. "There's no point in looking at the exchange students if we get no information out of it."

"Besides," Weiss began while giving her partner a pointed glare, "the Vacuan students aren't due to arrive until another four hours."

"Oh, dang, I must've mixed the times up somewhere." Rina gave a careless shrug, then put on an enthusiastic grin. "Since you are all awake now, how about some training?"

A collective groan was her response, but she knew that once they were all up and functioning, there'd be no stopping them.

Despite all of their complaints and moping, Team RWBY was always eager to better themselves – as was she.

* * *

Vale was…different. The moment the ship arrived and they stepped off, it was clear this city was bustling and busy every hour of the day and every day of the week.

Even Vacuo, despite its size, was not like this. Her team had taken her to the city once and Ruby was pleasantly surprised that the population looked as if it was way below of what she was expecting, but then again, considering that the Kingdom of Vacuo was mainly wasteland and desert, it wasn't that surprising to see the kingdoms with more moderate climates flourishing in Vacuo's stead.

But _this_ was almost a shock to Ruby's sensory system. Even what she remembered of her childhood in Patch was unlike what she was witnessing now. Here were so many people in such little space while Patch was just a quiet, little island with lots of green.

"I like it!" Dew said with a wide grin as she took in all the colour and noise.

Ruby, however, wrinkled her nose. "I don't. It's too much; too loud. I don't think I could live here."

The blonde threw an arm over Ruby's shoulder, not bothered at all by her statement. "I bet it's an acquired taste."

"If that's the case, how come you took to it so quickly?" she asked dryly.

Dew gave Ruby a mock glare and dragged her over to the rest of their group while the accompanying professors were busy organizing for the rest of their trip to Beacon Academy.

Soon enough she and the rest of the large group of students were ushered into an airship by their professors, where they all split up into their respective teams.

"It certainly appears stressful so far," Ruby commented after she sat down next to her partner, with Nebula and Gwen taking seats across from them.

Ruby was aware that she was rambling, and she would be lying if she said that it had nothing to do with how nervous she was about facing Yang. It had been forever since she had last felt that way: her confidence nowhere to be found, her bravado making way for dread.

What was she supposed to say to her sister? What could she say? It had been too long and while she still remembered their early childhood days fondly, Yang and she were now too different to ever truly bond again, Ruby was sure of that. It wasn't like she didn't like her sister. It wasn't like she had problems with her sister. Of course, Ruby could never forget the circumstances leading up to the scar that beowolf had left on her and to the rescue by Raven herself. It had been the stupidest and most irresponsible thing her sister could have come up with, even with her childish mind at the time, but in the end, Yang was still her sister and she couldn't hold a grudge over her, even if she wanted to.

Besides, it all did work out in the end.

Ruby liked what she had become and where her life had gotten her.

Yang's choice of career was the direct opposite to hers; where she was a criminal, Yang went for upholding the laws. Yang protected the innocent whereas she robbed and killed them.

And on top of all of that, Raven had raised her instead of Yang. Of course, Ruby was aware of the circumstances of Raven leaving her own daughter behind, but would Yang be as understanding?

"Students, if you look outside you will see Beacon Academy."

Startled out of her thoughts, Ruby glanced out of the window and she had to admit that Beacon Academy was a sight to behold. Sitting right at a cliffside with multiple waterfalls surrounding it, there the proud academy was. Just as it was the case for Shade, Beacon was a fair way from Vale with lots of green to be seen.

It definitely was an awe-inspiring sight.

"Wow."

Ruby had to agree with her team leader there.

There were more muttered comments strewn across the airship of students expressing their wonder at Beacon's sight. At least that background buzz provided some distractions from her thoughts.

The academy inched closer and closer and soon there were some of its students visible walking around the campus, making Ruby feel anxiety deep in the pit of her stomach.

"You look kind of peaky…are you okay?"

Ruby glanced at the direction of Gwen's voice, her team leader's partner always watching out for her teammates. She took the role of team NDGR's mother-hen in stride.

"I'm alright, don't worry," Ruby answered the question with a small smile.

Taking in a deep breath as the airship approached the landing platform, Ruby walked up to the exit with her team. She could do this. She would do this. She was a Branwen and she had faced worse situations in her life and always came out on top.

With another deep breath and a quick nod to herself, she followed the rest of the Vacuan students outside to step foot on Beacon's grounds.

_Yang…here I come._

After landing and finishing up some formalities between their professors and some blonde, stern-looking woman, which Ruby assumed to be Beacon's deputy headmistress since, well, she wasn't Ozpin, the group was led into what the blonde woman called the amphitheatre.

Looking around herself, Ruby was glad that she did end up in Vacuo instead of Beacon since all the students here appeared to be wearing uniforms. She liked her own outfit well enough and imagining having to walk around in those formal skirts and blouses sent a shiver down her spine.

Once there, the respective teams got sorted into their dorm rooms which led to the professors giving them free rein. A big welcome would only happen once all participating students from the kingdoms would have arrived for the Vytal Tournament.

"All right, ladies, let's find our room and unpack. We'll have all the time to look around later."

Agreeing with Nebula, she and her teammates made their way out of the amphitheatre and towards what was dubbed the Beacon Tower. The four of them took a moment to take in its sight, which certainly was an impressive structure.

Few whistled. "Not gonna lie, Vale is impressive so far."

Ruby shrugged, her arms crossed over her chest as she glanced at her partner. "I admit, Beacon's architecture is something else…but I still find Vale kind of…stuffy. Too many people in too little space."

"I can see how some people would not like busy cities," Dew said with a nod, "but to me, it's a nice change of pace from Vacuo."

"Not enough to move to Vale permanently. For me at least," Gwen added with a slight tilt of her head. "Maybe for a weekend or vacations every other month or so."

The blonde gave an enthusiastic nod, agreeing with her best friend's partner. "Oh, yes, definitely! I wouldn't want to leave Vacuo behind for anything. My entire life's basically in Vacuo…I couldn't bring myself to leave everything and everyone."

They continued chatting as Nebula urged them to move on, following the directions she downloaded into her scroll, her team looking this way and that, taking in everything they could from Beacon's campus.

Ruby on the other hand was looking for a blonde that was not her partner and teammate. She wasn't even exactly sure what Yang would be looking like now. It had been years upon years since she had seen her last and those memories were, unfortunately, not the fondest – the panicked and frozen child, with silent tears streaming down her face while her screaming little sister got carried away in a beowolf's maw.

She never even _really_ blamed her sister for that. As irresponsible as Yang's actions that day had been, she could and should be absolved of her guilt by her age alone. She had been a child and had acted as such: taking actions without thinking of possible consequences.

Ruby let a sigh escape her and kept on looking without really having a face to look for. It was difficult enough to find someone in this myriad of students, but it was entirely hopeless when you didn't even know what the person you were looking for would be looking like.

On top of that, Ruby wasn't even sure why she suddenly kept on looking. Did she want the inevitable to just be over? Did she deep down want to see her sister again? She wasn't sure and before she could continue her thought process any further, she crashed into someone, her spacing out having completely thrown off her sense of her surroundings.

"Watch where you're going!"

Frowning at the haughty and bossy tone of whomever she walked into, Ruby got back up to her feet, muscle memory immediately moving her body into a dominant posture, her chin raised ever so slightly, a faint _'oh no'_ from her partner audible. "I'd watch my tongue if I were you, brat. You don't want to lose it."

The white-haired girl looked very offended. " _Excuse me_?! Just who do you think you are to talk to me like that?!"

Ruby was about to retort when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Ruby, you don't want to start something already, do you?"

Turning towards her partner, Ruby shot her an incredulous look. "I'm not letting some snotty brat walk all over me."

Before the girl could react, Nebula walked up and put a placating hand on her shoulder. "I am _really_ sorry on behalf of my teammate. She's usually nice to be around, but has a terrible temper."

"Really?" Ruby raised an eyebrow at her leader. "That's the best you came up with?"

"Work with me, Ruby!" Nebula looked desperately at her as if she was some kind of troublemaker.

The girl gave Ruby an odd look, however, before she turned back to Nebula, giving her a curt nod. "I accept your apology. You are exchange students from Vacuo I assume? I haven't seen you around before."

Nebula nodded. "Yeah, that's right. We were just heading to our dorm building."

"Allow me to welcome you to Beacon Academy, then. My name is Weiss Schnee of team RWBY." Weiss said.

Nebula returned it. "Thank you. I'm Nebula Violette, this is my partner Gwen Darcy, this over there is Dew Gayl and you already have been…acquainted to Ruby Branwen, Dew's partner."

"A pleasure to meet all of you." Weiss pointedly ignored Ruby but gave the rest of the team a welcoming smile. "However, I have class in a few minutes. I hope you all settle in well. Maybe we'll spar in combat class before the tournament begins?"

"I'd love to." Dew grinned at the girl, waving goodbye and then turning to Ruby. "Seriously, Ruby, what was that about?"

Ruby scoffed. "Don't blame me? I accidentally bumped into her, she snapped at me. I wasn't going to just take it. Figures, though, considering she's a Schnee."

"Just…don't go making enemies out of everyone you bump into." Nebula sighed, motioning for her team to keep moving.

* * *

Team RWBY was sitting in history class, far in the back, listening to their excitable teacher, Doctor Oobleck, rattle down his curriculum at high speed.

Weiss, however, had her mind on something else today, which was, considering that she was priding herself on her perfect marks in every class, entirely unlike her.

Checking her watch, she saw that they only had a couple of minutes left, so she stopped any further attempts at concentrating and nudged the blonde next to her with her knee, drawing her attention to herself.

"Before class, I…saw someone and, before I explain this further, I want you to promise me to not get your hopes up." Weiss kept her voice low, drawing a curious look from Yang.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just humour me."

"Okay…"

The bell rang, and the students began packing up and heading outside.

"Would you show me that picture of your sister again?" Weiss asked.

"What? Why?"

Sighing at the suddenly vulnerable look on the usually tough girl's face, Weiss kept urging her on. "Please."

Yang reluctantly removed the rose-shaped locket from around her neck and handed it to her, looking as if it physically pained her.

Looking at the picture, Weiss saw the face of an adorable little girl grinning at her, her hair unique with its black roots and dark red tips. She was sure that there weren't many girls with a hair colouring like that and she was sure there were even less with a hair colouring like that called Ruby.

"You said her name was Ruby Rose, right?" she asked.

Yang was starting to look increasingly impatient. "Yeah…Weiss, what's going on? Why are you suddenly so curious about my sister?"

"Do you know something?" "Yeah, what's with all the questions?"

Holding up a hand to silence all the questions, Weiss continued her explanation. "Earlier, I ran into some exchange students from Vacuo and one of them bumped into me. She was incredibly rude and disrespectful, if I may say so," Weiss said, huffing in annoyance, "but, anyway, one of her teammates called her Ruby." Yang's eyes widened at that, but Weiss continued talking as team RWBY was walking towards their dorm room.

"That caught my attention, obviously, so I gave this Ruby a closer look and, well, while her hair was longer than on this picture, the colouring was what threw me off. How many people do you know with hair colour like that, Yang?"

"I…only Summer and Ruby," Yang whispered.

"Thing is, though, she was introduced as Ruby Branwen and not-"

"What?!"

Weiss jumped at the sudden outburst from Yang. "Yang…?"

"It has to be her! Branwen, tha-that's my uncle's and mum's last name! It has to be her! We have to see them. Weiss, we have to!"

Quickly nodding at Yang's desperation, Weiss motioned for the rest of the team to follow her, Blake and Rina looking equally in shock as she felt. "They said they were going to get settled in their dorm room, so maybe they are still there…"

* * *

Team NDGR were finished with their unpacking and had decided to wait until the next day for walking around Beacon and see what it had to offer.

For now, after Ruby had received a thorough tongue-lashing from Nebula, they were settled in their beds, some chatting with their friends via their scrolls, others reading and Ruby maintaining her katana while sitting cross-legged on the floor, her materials in front of her.

It was into that quiet that there was a knock on their door, causing Ruby to look up with a huff before she got up to her feet and opened the door, raising an eyebrow at the white-haired girl in front of her. "You again?"

"Ruby?"

At the whisper of her name, Ruby's head jerked towards the voice, staring at the tall blonde with widened eyes. "Oh…"

Before she could think of anything else, two strong arms pulled her into a hug.


End file.
